Social, health and economic crisis, 2020 will have been the year of change. A profound disruption is at work, which will have repercussions in many areas. In the world of wine as everywhere. As a talented winemaker, you are probably wondering how to succeed in the current context. Are sales at the wine shop still a good option? If so, under what conditions and how to proceed? As you can imagine, I have a little idea on the subject: in this article, I share my method for properly selling wine to a wine merchant.
What future for wine merchants?
One of the main objectives of my accompaniments is to teach winemakers how to do without intermediaries by selling their wine in streaming, on the Internet. In just a few clicks, they can save a lot of money and increase their margins tenfold by giving up brokers, resellers, agents, wholesalers, wine shops and wine merchants.
So why this article?
Have you noticed how e-mails have supplanted postal mail without completely replacing it?
Do you see how instant messaging is on its way to dethroning e-mails without eliminating them from our lives?
Well, the world of wine is following the same trend. The sale of Premium wine without intermediaries is going to replace the activities of some wine merchants. Those who ignore the potential of the Grands Crus and let the good bottles gather dust.
So here’s my first piece of advice: to be effective now and in the years to come, consider your wine merchant, not as a customer, but as a partner, a member of your family. It is better to work with very few wine merchants but to build strong and rewarding relationships with them. Make sure that they become close ambassadors for your Premium wines. This will be a win-win situation for everyone.
How to choose a good wine merchant?
Quite simple! Take a stroll downtown! Inspect the shops and stop at the wine shops where, as a wine lover, you would be keen on buying a few bottles.
Continue your exploration while remaining incognito. Observe the wines, taste them, ask questions and why not, let yourself be tempted. You will find out that the wine shops that attract you in this way are not so numerous, perhaps one in ten.
This place where you feel good is the ideal place to sell your production: you immediately see that it could find its place there. The shop, the person, the offer corresponds to you and is in line with the soul of your wine.
All you have to do is take action and overcome your natural shyness as a winegrower!
How to convince the right wine merchant?
The first thing to do is to make an appointment without any kind of commitment. Offer to let the wine shop owner taste your wines in order to get his opinion and publish it on your Facebook page. The prospect of a good tasting and easy publicity should seduce him.
Then prepare one or two of the best wines in your range to build an offer that he won’t be able to resist. During the interview:
- Let him taste and write down his opinion. You can even make a video if he agrees;
- Summarize his comment;
- Show him how your wine will meet some of his customers’ unfulfilled expectations;
- Offer him a money-back guarantee. Your wine is delicious, you’ve checked it a thousand times;
- Offer to organize a creative event for the launch.
The tools offered by iD ViN can help you to imagine powerful animations that will attract customers and make your new partner happy. Because I have no doubt: the wine merchant will be more than delighted to become an ambassador for your wines.
Remember this: the secret lies in a win-win agreement, where everyone finds their own interest!
If you would like to know more about it, take a look at iD ViN YouTube channel or join our club of talented winegrowers.
And stay tuned! I will soon tell you how to sell your Premium wine to a restaurant owner…
Cheers,
Galatée